Welcome back to Part 5 of the Grandpa’s Glass Series. In case you are new here, I am sharing some stories behind the photos of the Grandpa’s Glass series. If you missed any of those posts, they are linked below. But, today, I want to share how music is part of Grandpa’s story.

Grandpa and Music Go Together Like…

Grandpa liked music… all music… especially “happy” music as he called it. He usually had a transistor radio that he tuned in to every genre of music that little battery-powered thing would pick-up in rural Texas.

I was visiting him once when I was in my late teens, or maybe early twenties, and I heard Aretha Franklin belting out "Freeway of Love" from the living room. I was shocked to hear the music I listened to and went to investigate the source. Grandpa, just released from the hospital hours before, was sitting in his chair with the radio lifted to his ear enjoying the music.

The Gift of Music

But, his love of music did not end with mere appreciation as a listener. There are people who are gifted with musical talent, and Grandpa was one of those fortunate folks. He played harmonica, piano, … all by ear.

I remember when Mom and Dad bought a piano for me to begin piano lessons. It took a few strong men (Dad, Grandpa, and uncles) to lift the substantial upright piano into the truck all the while my Grandfather played tunes on the piano as it was being lifted into the truck. He never missed a beat in the process. I was thunderstruck, and a little intimidated to begin lessons, after hearing the sounds he produced on that piano. Unfortunately, while my appreciation for music rivals him, I did not inherit his musical talent.

The Fiddle with the Rattlesnake Rattle

I recently learned that Grandpa also played the fiddle. I read once that the difference between a violin and a fiddle is that the violin sings - the fiddle dances. One is not better than the other, just different sides of the same coin. I have no doubt that Grandpa’s fiddle danced. The fact that the fiddle housed the rattle of a rattlesnake also intrigued me. So, of course, I did some research. The stories of why one adds the rattle vary from a means to keep mud daubers, wasps, spiders, mice… from nesting inside the instrument (back in the day, fiddles were the “devil’s instrument” and therefore banished outdoors), to serve as a talisman for good luck, as a means of sweetening the sound and everything in between. No matter the purpose, I would love to have the memory of the sound he produced from the fiddle with the rattle of a rattlesnake tucked inside.

If you would like to view these images in a larger format, click on the image. Alternatively, these images are part of the Grandpa’s Glass series (HERE).